Test for Anti-Beriberi Vitamine. 175 



TABLE III. 



C0 2 gm. 



0 2 gm. 



Calories. 



In diabetes i gm. urinary N = 



4.00 



4-5o 



I3.O4 



In periods 4-5, 0.637 gm. N = 



2-55 



2.90 



Sot 



Period 4. Total 



23.02 



24.30 



K.y. 





2-55 



2.90 



.687 





20.47 



21.48 



•693 



Period 5. Total 



23-73 



25-36 



.681 





2-55 



2.90 







21.18 



22.46 



.686 



Compare with 



D : N 



R.Q. 



Non-protein 









R.Q. 





3-54 



.687 



.704 





35 



.697 



.700 





3-97 



.687 



.699 



93 (1553). 



Experiments on a quantitative and qualitative test for anti- 

 beriberi vitamine. 



By Casimir Funk and Harry E. Dubin. 



[From the Research Laboratory of H. A. Metz, New York City.} 



In 1912 one of us (C.F.) experimented with the anti-beriberi 

 vitamine to see if it could not act as coferment in alcoholic fer- 

 mentation. The experiments failed at that time, but now the 

 subject through the work of Williams, Bachmann and Eddy has 

 attained a new interest. Their results seem to prove that vitamine 

 activity can be measured by growth of yeast cells and would permit 

 of dispensing with animal experimentation in the initial stages of 

 vitamine fractionation. 



Because of the uncertainty of the Bachmann fermentation 

 test, and the complicated procedure of Eddy's test, it was thought 

 desirable to develop a simple macro method. Our procedure is as 

 follows: A yeast suspension is prepared according to the method 

 of Eddy by shaking a loopful of 48 hours yeast culture in a definite 

 amount of Naegeli's solution for 4 hours on a shaking machine. 

 Duplicate tubes are then prepared containing: (1) yeast suspen- 



